


Safety

by thoughtful_constellations



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, janto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 18:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13394037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoughtful_constellations/pseuds/thoughtful_constellations
Summary: "Five minutes. That's all." The voice beside him was swallowed up by the wide atmosphere of the warehouse. He felt the cold metal of a phone pressing to his ear, heard a tone and a click at the other end."Jack?"





	Safety

The floor is dusty, Ianto thought. 

Strange to think of that at a time like this, maybe, but the brain does love to fixate on insignificant details when there are bigger things at stake. 

"Five minutes. That's all." The voice beside him was swallowed up by the wide atmosphere of the warehouse. He felt the cold metal of a phone pressing to his ear, heard a tone and a click at the other end. 

"Jack?" 

"Ianto, how's your day off?" The tone of his voice was absent of stress; he was probably at his desk. Ianto thought about the blue lights of the hub reflecting through the windows, and the angles at which they hit Jack's unreadable expressions. The images gave him a bittersweet feeling, and he forced them from his mind. 

"It's...fine. I bought you a new blend of coffee I really think you'll enjoy." 

The coffee. Where had the bag gone? Right, he'd left it outside while he pursued the suspect into this warehouse, swapping it for his gun. Lucky to be carrying it today, but it didn't matter in the end. How he could have forgotten to phone the team before forcing the iron doors open...he was kicking himself.

"That's great. Did you need anything? Gwen will kill me if I don't finish authorizing this report for her before lunch."

"Listen, Jack. Don't speak. I need you to just listen." His voice sounded rough, even to his own ears. 

"I know it's difficult for you to admit things to yourself when they're so important they scare you," he said, swallowing. He felt a too-familiar taste in his throat. Tangy. "I understand that. I go along with the banter, and I tell everyone it’s nothing, that it’s all just for fun, but what we have has always been more than that for me.”

Rambling, he thought. He wasn't exactly in a position for eloquence to come easily to him.

“You can’t say how you feel, and you know I would never ask it of you, but...I need you to hear it from me."

"Ianto, are you feeling okay?" His voice had gone into business mode. Ianto almost smiled. Even if he figured it out, they'd be late getting here. 

"Two minutes." 

"Jack." An urgent tone took over his words. "I love you. You changed my life, and I'm sorry I haven't done enough to prove that to you. I should be telling you this in person," he inhaled sharply, pressing his hand further into his lower torso, "but I'm afraid of what you'd say if you saw me like this." He let out a sharp laugh that would convince of anything but happiness. 

The edges of his vision were going dark, more so than the pool on his stomach blending into the rich color of his shirt. “After Lisa, I… I didn’t think I could bring myself to feel normal again. You made me feel so much more than normal. More than I ever believed one...” A sharp pain in his abdomen made his voice falter.

"Ianto, stay where you are."

The light through the windows near the ceiling was starting to blur. " _Dwi'n caru ti, gariad_ ," he whispered. And that was it. He heard a click and his head dropped to his shoulder in the absence of the phone being pulled from his ear.

The last thing he saw was footsteps, a failed mission getting away from him.

\---

Hazy, frantic voices buzzing on the outer border of his consciousness. A firm grip on his head. His eyelashes fluttered. 

“Ianto!” Repeated a couple of times, changing in pitch. Or no, several voices of their own pitches. It was unclear to him. 

“Owen Harper, if you let him go I swear to god--”

No reply. Hands on his stomach. A voice whispering in his ear. A silent prayer.

“I love him, I love him, I love you, come back, Ianto…” 

He jerked awake with a gasp, knocking his forehead into Jack’s nose. The grip on his head stayed where it was. But no, they’d gotten rid of those, unless…

“Am I dead?” He tried to convince himself that the question was asked in less frantic a tone than every other time he’d heard that phrase, but he had to acknowledge the edge to his voice. His eyes flew from Jack, to Tosh and Gwen at his side, to Owen, who was bent over his stomach with his hands moving. He saw a flash of metal in Owen’s hands.

“What?” Jack said. The hand on his head jerked away, and Jack placed it on his cheek instead. “No no, you’re fine. You’ll be fine.” His eyes were red, and Ianto could see fear in them. 

Funny, Ianto thought, he usually keeps that well-hidden.

He realized the bright light shining on him came from the ceiling lights in the warehouse, not the autopsy room. Oh. 

He pushed his head up, and was hit with a wave of dizziness.

“Oi, don’t move,” Owen said gruffly, shooting him a sharp look. Jack eased his head back down, gripping his shoulder.

“The suspect,” Ianto mumbled. 

“Don’t worry about that,” Jack shot, “you shouldn’t have been in the first place. You were off duty.” 

“I’m sorry,” he closed his eyes, feeling even more weak. “I saw a chance…”

Jack’s grip loosened. “I know.” He rubbed his arm.

“Tosh, pass me the gauze.” Ianto felt Owen wrapping a roll of cottony material around the bullet wound, and realized his shirt had been pushed up. He glanced down at the blood-stained material, only a shade darker than the red of the shirt. Not as startling as it would have been against white.

Owen nodded at Jack, rising and taking a step back to gather his tools.

“Let’s get you up,” He lifted Ianto, guiding his arm around his neck. 

“I’ll help,” Tosh said, stepping up, but Jack waved her off.

“Go on and get the car started up. We’re right behind.”

Everyone shuffled towards the exit on the far wall, avoiding their eyes. It was typical of them, but Ianto still felt uncomfortable with their execution of it. When the door had swung shut with a long, rusted groan, everything was silent.

Jack quickly pulled Ianto into his chest, squeezing as hard as he could without bothering his wound. Ianto realized after a couple seconds that he was shaking. He exhaled, and brought a hand to the back of Jack’s neck.

“Jack,” he said quietly. “What I said--I didn’t mean to overwhelm you--”

“You’re right,” Jack said into the shoulder of his jacket. “Admitting it…Makes it real. And I’m scared, Ianto.” His voice was barely audible. “I can’t lose someone again. Not you.”

“Don’t you think I know how that feels?” 

Jack lifted his head. His eyes were redder than before. “Right…”

“I’m not letting that grief get in the way of what’s important to me. You’re strong enough not to let it control you, either. You can’t keep withholding your feelings and allowing safety to be the driving factor in a relationship. Our relationship. That’s what we are, isn’t it?”

Jack stared behind him. Contemplating or angry, Ianto wasn’t sure. 

“Ianto Jones. Of course it’s you talking sense into me with reasoning that I can’t argue with.” He shook his head, a sad smile on his face. “I’m sorry it’s so difficult for me. You live through enough deaths and it just…” His eyes stared at the wall, seeing things Ianto couldn’t.

Ianto put a hand on his cheek, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I will try my best to help you,” he leaned toward the door, getting Jack to help him walk in that direction, “like I do with everything else. What would you do without me around cleaning up after you, hm?” 

Jack growled, bringing a smirk to his face.

They reached the car, and Owen popped his head out the window. “Ay! What took you so long? Tea-boy’s not supposed to be engaging in any strenuous activity with that hole in his stomach!” 

“Ianto can take a lot more than you think,” Jack answered, winking at Owen as he helped  
Ianto into the passenger’s seat. Tosh began laughing, and Gwen had a grin on her face. Owen just scowled and Ianto shot Jack a look. 

“Shut up and get us home, _Captain._ ”

Jack pushed the car into gear, speeding out of the parking lot in the direction of the hub.

Ianto watched Jack’s hands on the steering wheel. He’d survived, this time. As he studied the lines of Jack’s wrists and arms, gaze travelling to his face, he wondered how long that would last.

**Author's Note:**

> and they all live happily ever after, Forever, and no one died, especially Ianto
> 
> Come talk to me! @lesbinova.tumblr.com


End file.
